A Laurelton man was indicted by a Queens grand jury on attempted murder charges for stabbing a man over a parking spot in May, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Anthony Thomas, 58, of Mentone Avenue, was arraigned Thursday, June 24, before Acting Supreme Court Justice Toni Cimino on an indictment charging him with attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.
According to the charges, around 5 p.m. on May 23, the 49-year-old victim drove onto Mentone Avenue and attempted to park on the block. Thomas saw the motorist move the traffic cones that blocked off a portion of the street in front of his home. The victim was parking when Thomas exited his home and began to curse at the driver. When the motorist failed to leave the parking spot, Thomas went back into his home.
The victim then joined his friends across the street for an outdoor gathering, according to the charges. Thomas exited his home several times to scream at the man until he relented and moved his car.
But, still angry, Thomas walked over to the victim, pulled a kitchen knife from a sock he was holding and allegedly repeatedly stabbed the man in the chest, abdomen and arm.
The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital with a collapsed lung, massive intestinal injuries and other serious wounds as a result of the attack, according to Katz. Police officers who responded to the scene allegedly found the weapon stained with blood in Thomas’ home dishwasher, according to the charges.
“No one owns a public parking spot even if it is in front of their home,” Katz said. “This was a needless attack on a man who was simply coming to the neighborhood to visit a friend.”
Justice Cimino set the defendant’s return date for June 28. Thomas faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
